Château Laurier addition

Next steps

The architect will present a revised design to City staff who will assess the changes against Built Heritage Sub-Committee’s direction.

The architect will present the revisions to the Urban Design Review Panel for comment in winter 2019.

City staff will prepare a site plan report for presentation to the Built Heritage Sub-Committee and a decision by Planning Committee in winter 2019.

The applicant will seek National Capital Commission approvals for matters related to federal lands.

The Committee of Adjustment will make a decision on the minor variance application.

Larco will obtain a building permit and construct the addition.

The public will be advised of the revised design before it is presented at the Urban Design Review Panel meeting, which will be advertised online. Residents may attend all of the committee meetings but may only provide written comments to and speak at Planning Committee and the Committee of Adjustment.

Progress from December 2016 to June 2018

Overview

The City received a site plan control application for an addition to the rear of the Château Laurier in December 2016. Planning staff requested comments from the public and interest groups through two formal circulations (winter 2017 and winter 2018). Council approved the demolition of the parking garage in January 2018. A revised design was submitted and Council conditionally approved the application to alter the heritage building in spring 2018.

The City also convened a group of heritage professionals to provide expert advice on the design of the addition. The Heritage Working Group met three times between February and April 2017, and offered design feedback directly to the architect and design team. Staff from the City and the National Capital Commission, and the property owner were also present at the meetings of the Heritage Working Group.

City staff and NCC staff also provided feedback on the original design and subsequent iterations throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2017. Key discussion points included:

Height and massing

Roof expression

Window patterns

Stone or glass exterior cladding

Addition to appear as a standalone building beside the iconic architecture of the hotel

Public realm interface and how the building connects to the adjacent Rideau Canal terraces, Major’s Hill Park and Mackenzie Avenue

Parking garage demolition application approved (January 2018)

On January 31, 2018, City Council approved an application to demolish the garage of the Château Laurier. The garage was structurally unsound and the applicant planned to demolish the upper four storeys, leaving a surface parking lot for guests.

Circulation 2 (February 9 to March 9, 2018)

In response to these comments, Larco submitted a revised proposal in February 2018. City staff held a community meeting on February 28, 2018, and approximately 80 people attended. You may watch the presentation on Rogers TV.

As before, City planning staff read all of the comments (emails, comment sheets, telephone calls) and summarized the completed feedback form submissions. Staff identified a variety of themes:

No change should be permitted

An addition should match the existing hotel’s architecture

The proposed design lacks compatibility

The design should be bolder.

The addition is too high and obscures views to the existing building

The addition will alter sight lines along Mackenzie Avenue.

Glass is not an appropriate exterior material

The architecture is undesirable

The property is within a Design Priority Area and the Site Plan Control application was subject to the Urban Design Review Panel (UDRP) process. The architect and the Larco team presented their proposal to the UDRP at a formal review meeting on March 1, 2018, which was open to the public, and at a focused design review session on April 10 with City staff and three panel members. The March 1 recommendations and both sessions informed the changes within the May 2018 revised proposal.

New design submitted (May 2018)

On May 9, 2018, Larco Investments submitted a revised proposal for a seven-storey, 164-room addition at the rear of the existing Château Laurier. The development proposal retains the Château Laurier in its entirety, and replaces the remaining walls of the parking garage with an L-shaped addition, which will abut limited areas on the Château Laurier’s east and west wings.

City staff supported this design and wrote a report with recommendations to the Built Heritage Sub-Committee (BHSC).

Heritage permit application approved with conditions (June 2018)

On June 27, 2018, City Council gave conditional approval to the application to alter the Chateau Laurier at 1 Rideau Street, a property designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.

The Built Heritage Sub-Committee had recommended approval of the addition’s massing and location and the proposed landscaping, but indicated that more work was required to make the addition more visually compatible with the existing hotel.

The sub-committee directed staff to work with the applicant to visually and physically break up the massing of the addition as seen from the north. There was also direction to increase the amount of limestone used and to ensure that all façades draw inspiration from the window patterns and architectural elements of the historic hotel.

Through this decision, Council did not require that the addition be changed to a Château-style building nor that exact architectural elements be copied from the existing hotel.

Château Laurier addition

Proposal details

Larco Investments proposes to build a seven-storey, 164-room addition at the rear of the existing Château Laurier. The development proposal retains the Château Laurier in its entirety, and replaces the remaining walls of the parking garage with an L-shaped addition, which will abut limited areas on the Château Laurier’s east and west wings.

This proposed addition will also be connected to the existing hotel via an enclosed glass link running along the western edge of the hotel’s east wing. The development proposal also includes a landscaped courtyard between the Château Laurier and the proposed addition, modifications to original ground floor window openings to provide access to the courtyard from the hotel ballroom and banquet room, and a new stairway that will provide access to the courtyard from the public terrace on the west side of the Rideau Canal.

The seven-storey height will enable views to the original hotel building, especially the iconic roofline, from Major’s Hill Park and other key vantage points. The ground floor will include hotel meeting rooms, as well as publicly accessible space. A long gallery along the north wall will create a visual connection between the addition and Major’s Hill Park to the north. The north-west corner will open to the lower levels of the Rideau Canal terraces. An accessible staircase is proposed, leading from the hotel’s interior courtyard to the canal terraces. A connector is proposed above the staircase, attaching the addition to the existing building’s west wing.

Built Heritage Sub-Committee gave conditional approval to the contemporary design of the addition, but directed staff to work with the applicant to increase the amount of limestone on the exterior, to break up the long north wall and to draw inspiration from the existing hotel’s window patterns and architectural elements.

Site and surroundings

The 12,037 m2 site is located at the northwest corner of Rideau Street and Mackenzie Avenue, along the Confederation Boulevard ceremonial route. There are existing driveways accessing parking and drop-off areas from both streets.

The Château Laurier hotel was built originally between 1908 and 1912 by the Grand Trunk Railway Company in the late Victorian French Château style. A wing along Mackenzie Street was added in 1929. The parking garage structure was added in 1969, and, in 1985, Rideau Street drop-off area was enlarged and a glass front was added to Zoe’s Lounge.

The site plan control process allows the City to influence land development so that it is safe, functional and orderly. It is also used to ensure that the development standards approved by the City and other agencies are implemented and maintained.

To determine if a proposal qualifies for site plan approval, staff complete a comprehensive review of plans and studies submitted with the site plan control application [PDF 1.03 MB]. Technical agencies, ward councillors and the public all inform staff’s decision to approve, modify or refuse an application for site plan control.

Building location, landscape treatment, pedestrian access, drainage control and parking layout are a few of the items addressed during review.

Public Notification and Consultation

Certain site plan proposals are subject to the City's public notification and consultation process. A large sign summarizing the proposal is placed on the property to notify the public that an application has been received. Registered community organizations enrolled with the City are also given notice when a site plan proposal is received in their neighbourhood.

Detailed information about proposals that require public notification and consultation, including a copy of the site plan is available online. Any person who wishes to provide comments to staff for consideration may do so within the designated comment period. Refer to the review status online to determine if the comment period for an application is in progress. To submit comments to staff, select the application number from the list of results. An option to send comment is located on the details page under the heading, file lead.

If there is significant interest in a proposal a community information and comment session may be held.In general, the following site plan proposals are subject to public notification and consultation.

New residential buildings containing five or more dwelling units

New buildings with a gross floor area of 350 square metres or more, other than a building containing only a Medical Marihuana Production Facility

Additions that expand the gross floor area of a building by more than fifty per cent, excluding a building containing only a Medical Marihuana Production Facility, a residential building containing less than five dwelling units, or a building that after the addition is less than 350 square metres in gross floor area

A change in use that results in the construction of more than 10 new parking spaces, or a drive-through

Key Steps in the Site Plan Control Approval Process

Applicant arranges a pre-application consultation meeting with City staff. Meeting is mandatory if the proposal is subject to public notification and consultation.

Applicant submits a complete application with studies, plans and fees to a Client Service Centre. Study, plan and fee requirements are outlined during pre-application consultation. Refer to the City's Guide to Preparing Studies and Plans for information on preparing these requirements.

A file lead is assigned to manage the review of the application. Details about the proposal are sent to technical agencies, public bodies and the ward councillor for consideration.

After the comment period ends the file lead discusses the outcomes of consultation with the applicant. Any modifications to the proposal are updated on the plans submitted to the City for approval.

In accordance with the Site Plan Control By-law [PDF 184 KB], the applicant enters into an agreement or undertaking with the City. The applicant has up to six months from the date of approval to sign a Letter of Undertaking and up to one year to enter into a Site Plan Agreement.

As part of the Agreement the applicant provides a development cost estimate to the City so that financial securities can be calculated. Securities are held by the City to ensure that construction is completed in accordance with the approved Site Plan. The applicant provides the City with the required securities in the form of a bank issued letter of credit. The applicant also supplies a certificate of insurance to protect staff completing work on private property.

After construction is complete, the development is inspected by staff for compliance. Securities are released if the built project complies with the approved plans.

Minor variance

Minor variances are often necessitated by circumstances peculiar to a property which prevent the owner from developing it in a way which conforms to a zoning by-law. Examples of minor variance applications include requests for relief from the building setback, building height, and parking provisions of a zoning by-law.

The Committee is authorized to grant a minor variance if all of the following criteria, commonly referred to as the “four tests,” are met:

The variance is minor

The variance is desirable for the appropriate development or use of the property

The general intent and purpose of the zoning by-law is maintained

The general intent and purpose of the Official Plan is maintained

The Committee will refuse an application if, in its opinion, one or more of the above criteria have not been met.

The Committee cannot grant exemptions to the by-law which, in effect, would constitute a change of zoning. In such cases, property owners may wish to make an application for a zoning by-law amendment.

Heritage application

Any addition to a designated heritage building requires the approval of the City of Ottawa under the Ontario Heritage Act. The property owner must submit an application to the Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department. Once the application is deemed complete, City staff issue an acknowledgement letter to the applicant. The Ontario Heritage Act requires applications to be processed within 90 days of the issuance of this letter.

How Planning Works

Land use planning is described and illustrated in this section including how the Official Plan and master plans guide growth. The challenges facing our growing city and the building blocks needed to attain our goals are also highlighted.